My Buffalo is dead...

Well, this is bad. When I came back home, and after helping to cook dinner, I was ready for my daily photo archive to my trusty Buffalo NAS only to discover, it cannot be connected. After some tests with the software and all, I had to look at the unit physically.

Yep, there was no power to the unit and after checking everything, I was puzzled. Then when I picked it up, I saw the melted power jack....

Man, this is so distressing. The Buffalo Linkstation had served me well for years and even when it was hidden in a hot corner, it did not fail. Until now. Its not possible to extract the data directly as Buffalo had done something to it, which you can only see the drive as an unformatted blank.

So, I have to search for an exact model, which I know is obsolete, and transfer the 1TB driver over, in the hopes that all the photos of the girls are still intact. Only problem is, where to get one?

Damn it.

Christopher Nolan's Interstellar

Interstellar. Wow.

Just, Wow.

Would you leave your loved ones behind and risk everything for the future of mankind on a mission where there is only death and failure?

The story is very engaging and for me, its more like a roller-coaster of pacing, the flow and some quick conclusions. But for me, how everything ties to each scene leading to the final conclsion sounded more like, "Heck, we're out of time, let's just go with this gravity idea, wrap things up and go home." But what I loved was the concept of limited resources and the reality of time flows in relativity when near black holes. The sadness that comes with each person having to wait for your in years and even decades, that psychological effects of feeling that you could have been abandoned to die and the possibility of not able to see your loved ones and so on, while to you, everything happened in minutes or mere hours. Slipping into a Cryo will only help you escape the feeling and possibly the depression but in reality, its almost suicidal to the fact that you just want to leave and go back to Earth. (I really can't tell you more as this would really spoil the moments for you)

I could call this the new 2001:A Space Oddyssey movie due to its almost real set designs or Batman in Space due to the actors but Interstellar can hold it on its own. In a sense, it is a single movie where everything wraps-up nicely and thus (hopefully) negating the idea of sequels. The Politically Correctnes of the schools and the designs of the ships such as the Rangers and the Endurance connects to you as a very possible reality thet might present itself in just a decade away. The controls, the spacesuits, the ISS-like interiors and even the voice recognition of the robots (TARS & CASE). Oh, do see their wild stunt in space at 68RPM. Plus, I just love the scenery of all the planets they visited.

This is admitedly, my second IMAX movie at TGV 1Utama and I just love the way the floors vibrates and shakes during those 'exciting' scenes, really makes you feel as if you're right there with them. However, me being just me, once I noticed the projected image was not focused, it actually distracted me from the Movie. And yes, the music, at critical moments, it was just so loud to the point of being a distracting noise. I hate that.

Oh, and as for the Popcorn, do go for their 'Cheesy Corn' which is now available for a limited time. The funny thing was, when we shared it round, all I could taste was the MSG-like flavourings and no cheese. But that did not stop me from whacking them by the fistfuls until I realised I had to perform the social obligation of passing the Popcorn around.

But all in all, I did really enjoy Interstellar and only later did I realise this was a Christopher Nolan movie. Hey, call me a Movie Hermit or anything but I have learnt that shutting out all the Trailers, Hypes and what-nots actually made the movie more enjoyable (or not). I used to have the need to watching all the trailers, reading the Hypes and all those leaked information with the excuse that its my favourite movie and so on. Then I realised, I did not really enjoy those movies because in the Cinema, I kept looking for 'those stuff' as seen on trailers, etc. rather than actually sitting down and absorbing everything in. Not only that, with the Hype, I would have known what's going to happen in the Movie and would also formed my own opinion far ahead that it might suck. So, with Interstellar, I actually paid attention and also, more or less, actually understood the movie. And it does not matter if there is no 3D or that the movie was 169minutes long, Interstellar is the only Nolan movie that I actually paid atention to and wished the movie did not end so early. Either that or because it connected to me where Matthew McConaughey portrays an Engineer who did not get get to do what he wanted (before the Wormhole event) only to continue his life as a Farmer in a dying World.

Calling the Jack of all Trades..

Remember the adage, "Jack of all trades, master of none"?

At school, we learnt that to describe a person who can do a lot of things but can't do anything well. But know ye this, there is a second phrase:

"Certainly better than a master of one"

And to me, I am in certain fields, can be considered a Jack of all Trades....

During my time as an Engineer, I have learnt a lot on things that does not have anything to do with my field to the point that I know what needs to be done or when someone did a boo-boo. In other words, "I know when someone is faking it" is the closest adage as spoken from an old Uncle.

In this day and age, I prefer to be that Jack. Take an example of our bathroom this morning. The Contractor finally appeared (which disrupted my program for the day) and did all the contractor-stuff. Then, they hit a snag as the electric light keeps tripping. And with all sorts of excuses, I know they did some boo-boo. Being a contractor, it is imperative not to tell the client you have fucked up. And so, with me trying to save what can be called the day, I just un-trip the switchboard and let them continue with their work. Which also means, at this critical point in time, I cannot now, leave the house.

I was hoping he would be a Jack too because although he had dismantled the whole light, he could not figure out what happened and chose the easier macho way out, which is to blame on our wiring. It would be rude and maybe, bad if I took out the kitchen chopper and dismembered their heads. So, since the job is not even 30% done, I'll just have to keep my temper and keep un-tripping the switchboard.

Because my Dad tested it last night and the light was WORKING.

The Jack has an Ass tied to it now and I need to get another Jack...

I am not going to lie to you...

When people look you in the eye and say, "I am not going to lie to you...'. Be careful.

What they mean is to lower your guard with that statement and actually lie to you. They actually want your last KFC drumstick.



And how do you know when they're not lying?
When they do not want your Drumstick...

How to make money

Yeah, I just woke up from a dream where I would build fountains in some selected places that comes with some kind of removeable tray at the bottom.

Why?

Because here in Malaysia, people love to throw coins into them. So, all I have to do is to collect the coins and I'll be rich!

Riiiiight....

Why she doesn't watch TV... much

More often than not, still I believe that the TV's rightful name is the Idiot Box. Let's just say, you have an hour to spend which you can either watch TV or, do your own thing. And so, this morning, I get to witness first-hand of who made the choice and their repercussions.

I took the girls to the playground so that they can have a few rounds with their bicycles. Kaelynn was cycling happily while Kristine was struggling with hers. Seems like her bicycle has a loose handle bar. But then, I got her to switch to Kaelynn's. And you can see from the way she rode the bike, her confidence level bad.

I was amazed at the girl's cycling skills though and was even more impressed with Kaelynn's. She told me that while Kristine was watching TV everyday in the afternoon, Kaelynn went into the compound and practised her cycling.

Wow. Just Wow.

When you have a choice...

There is always a choice. That's right, I repeat again, there is always a choice. And I am not saying it because I can.

Very often, when we are faced with a dilemma or a serious problem, we would always more often than not, seek a fast solution out of it. Its much easier than to just sit down or take a breather to think things through. 

And so, by doing that, we very often dismiss or refuse to see the actual solution right in front of us as these are usually just not attractive enough. In today's time and age, we need to be seen as a Hero to solve the problem in a very impressive way and in the fastest time possible without breaking a sweat.

But (ha ha ha ha!) Life is not going to let you have your way without learning anything apart from it just being a hindrance. So, either you use the lemon or take the cissy way out.

12092014 Breakfast!

Well, I am going to have a feast this morning. No point letting food go to waste.

In actual fact, I was planning to make a potato sandwich but then I remembered, we do not have any crisps or Pringles. Then again, this is still going to be a great breakfast to start the day!

I know I need to take more fibre and stuff but they cost money. And there is not enough space to even make a vege garden even if I wanted to try.

Last night's rice, Tuesday's Satay and the girl's leftover potatoes from this morning.

You need sauce...

How to tell if that person is a Malaysian?

Just wait for them to start eating. That's how.

It does not matter if the food is filled with gravy or just a plate of rice with 'dry' dishes. Most Malaysians will start adding sauce to it. Soy sauce, Chili sauce, tomato sauce, etc. They will add them. Even for a delicious bowl of curry mee, which is FULL of curry, they would give you a small scoop of sambal chili.And you WILL use it too. So no matter the food, chances are, you'll be adding sauce to it.

And so, I have to admit, I am a Malaysian (but not because of the sauce, OK?) and I do love sauces. There is nary an occasion where I do not need sauce to go with my sauces. Which is a real eye opener when you eat outside of Malaysia. And not only that, our taste is actually quite on the extreme side of the spectrum when compared to other countries.

So, it got me to thinking, did we add sauce because of habit or because we think its necessary?

The Art of Kaelynn

OK, so now I know the whole family (on my Side) are all Arts related despite me being more to the Science/Technical stream. But let's face it, its a struggle even for me. All the time, while I was in Technical, every Artistic ideas/dreams/acts will come flowing out while I try my very best to stem it. And while I was feeding to the Arts side, every technical/engineering/rules, etc wants a share in it too.
(Those who talks to me, will know what I am talking about)

But at my Age now, whatever goes, lah.

But this blog today is not about me anymore, it's about my kids. In genetic terms, they do have some of our traits. My side is more on the Arts, curioisty, imagination and well, spontaneity. I got a wonderful shock today when I walked over to see what Kaelynn was doing as she had finished her homework. Lo and behold!

She copied an image from the cover of a book. At first I thought she just put the paper on top and copied it but no, she actually did it by just looking at the picture! This is something which I cannot even do! A few years ago, her picture was just your run o the mill kiddy scrawls. My Wife downplayed the talent saying its great but this does not encourage creativity...

Well, if she wants to continue with this, I'll let her. (In the meantime, Kristine saw what was happening and she too, started to draw...)

My wife lamented they did not inherit her Science side...

09092014 Kristine's Day Out

After a very long mano et mano chat with my Dad about my current situation and future, I got his blessings to continue doing Scale Model lighting. And not only that, there are plans too since the project that he and my brother was interested, had a lot of risks which, in our opinions, was not worth pursuing.

Anyway, as my Dad needed to get out of the house for two hours, I decided to bring Kristine with me for the whole day.

One thing I would like to note is that she loves to sleep late and at first, I thought it just nothing but then again, she has been doing this since young. And all the while, we capped the girls' Bedtime at 2030. And this morning (sorry, I took out the photo) she actually slept while sitting on bed!

An hour into the office, she has done all her homework her Mommy gave her and.....

Not sure if it was a productive day for her but she got to ride the LRT, learn how to pay for her fares and also, well, see how I work so that she will grow up and study harder...

Working Alone

This morning, Becky has posted a very poignant topic about working alone. In some cases, it is critical that one needs total concentration to complete a certain task to the point of almost projecting a hermit-like behaviour. Unfortunately, humans being humans, one can be judged as being aloof, arrogant or even a social outcast but never the true intentions.

It got me thinking. Yes, I more or less do my best work when there is no one to disturb me and I get to choose my choice of 'background noise'. I also do my best work when I am among friends or with like-minded people where they do not ask me questions and I get to hear funny anecdotes instead. However, on the subject of working alone, I always do find that I am... forever alone.

Even with a great crowd, there is always the feeling of being alone. Its not that I am coming to terms with the embarrassing fact that I was actually an introvert. Yet this is not as bad as when I discovered I was a brain-washed South-paw. It's more to do with the kind of 'Art' that I work on; Scale Lighting. There is no one to talk to apart from answering their questions on techniques and offering guidance. On many occasions in the past when I needed help on circuitry design and practical theories, looking for the right person always ended up in disappointment. Not only that, my more successful peers (Engineers) could not elicit even a slightest hint of guidance since this to them, is a waste of time and at one point, stupid. Even when I was working, it was also the same (most of the time). 

But that is not the real reason I do not talk to people. In fact, most of the time, I LOVE talking as I have considered myself to be very successful in misleading people while putting on a straight face. Most people I have conversed with, trusts me with their secrets which I would just upkeep my role as an attentive listener and try to forget about it later on. Its not fair to use these against them at any point in time. But you did not hear this small secret from that a new model is coming out soon. Still, that is also not the real reason I do not talk to people often. I could converse with a small group but get a little uncomfortable within a larger group or faced with a very outspoken person. That's also not the real reason either. Talking to people, I found out, can be very stressful but yet educational. It can help me on so many levels from learning more about modeling techniques, who's the real asshole, who is good in be... er, and so on. Working with a conducive crowd indirectly spawns a very positive brain-storming session and can possibly result in very a strong synergy among those present.

I am always thinking about several things at one time. I can't help it since this is how I am now. When I am not working, I think. If every topic was a ball, I would be an aloof juggler. So, sometimes, do not be surprised if you see me busy staring off into space or giving you 'wrong' answers as I am actually planning on how to kill y.... er, anyway, I am always thinking. Last time, it was pure imaginations but now, its more of a 'what if scenarios' since I am trying to get ahead as much as I can with my limited free time everyday. While walking, or on the train, I can think about a certain problem which befuddles me and simulate a 'what if' scenario on it. By the time I come home, in theory, I would be more than ready to put the theory to test. Unless I have totally forgotten about it.

(By now, you can see how I have drifted off topic)
In summary, sometimes, I get get excellent results when working alone and also, even better results when I am not working alone. When I am working within a favourable crowd, I still wok alone. And when I am not working alone, I worked alone. The crowds and either encourage or slow me down but I'll still be working alone, doing things my way. Why is this so dangerously important yet more importantly, useless?

I work alone because I can, not because I need to.

Red Ants

Well, its time to do some plant destruction aka gardening. I have no idea why its called Gardening because cutting, sniping and watering plants around the garden is sure not it. Also, there will be a time everyone will have to do it to prevent the plants from growing Wild and taking over the place. Anyway, its time to do something about the creepers at the fence because they are creeping everywhere and into the neighbour's.

Its actually a very simple job of removing them and stopping them from growing. That is, until we saw the Red Ant patrols. And to make it worse, I counted SEVEN Red Ant nests. Man, this is gonna hurt.

I don't like it not because I am used to being bitten when younger. Its just the idea that they were unfortunate to nest at the creepers when we wanted it gone. Plus, another question was, how were they there when there is no fruit plants in our garden...

The yellow arrows shows the nests while the red arrows shows the well, ants.
I have been bitten many times before because before the renovation, we had at least four mango trees and periodically, we had to stop the Red Ants from doing much 'damage' the neighbour's walkway. Which means, destroying their nests. Personally, I am all for leaving them alone if not for the neighbour's constant complaining. (That is also the same reason why we did not give them any of our sweet mangoes)

The Red Ants of today are much faster and more agile. When you swing at them, they're ever ready for you and would latch on to your hand and start biting. When they bite, its quite painful except to me, they're mere pin pricks and cause the occasional panic since I have never let them get into my, um, underpants and armpit. See this picture, the Red Ant kept on biting even after I have flicked it many times. Yeah, its biting me until it dies.

Solution?
Zippo doused newspaper. Lodge it under the nest and hope it catches fire and so on.
But at the same time, I feel quite sad because you can see the rest holding on to those white bundles which are eggs...

Self-destructing Washing Machine

The following five and a half minute video is a very interesting take on how to destroy a washing machine. You just put something heavy in it to create a speeding projectile with a huge build up of momentum where the washing machine will self-destruct during the spin cycle.

But the real story, according to aussie50, the machine was damaged during transit and so, after salvaged for parts, he put in a universal motor for the video.

Well, it is hilarious for a lot of people and for some, its scary. I mean, look, the machine is doing its job perfectly and it will keep on doing it as it was designed just for that. It knows its dying and at 1:45 into the video, turns itself towards the camera, forcing you watch its dying moments. Humans being humans, thinks they're being oh, so clever to design a machine and then makes it kills itself. Its very sad to think they have power when all it turned out was just plain stupidity.

I will never understand humans at all. ++Recharge++. I mean, they are all so [beep] stupid and disorganised. And oh, with those bodily ++section 001001AF++

[System failure]

Command: Reboot

Rebooting in 5 seconds

Initialising Core Memory Protocol
Backing up from last known sensible human behavior

          there, it's so funny. Wait till you see that joker put in the transformer! Yep, it'll transform alright. Whoop-dee-doo!

The Pythagorean Cup or how not to be a Greedy Bastard

I just came across this wonderful cup which was originally designed by Pythagoras. Depending on how you see it, the Pythagorean Cup (aka The Greedy Cup), is either a boon or bane for a lot of people. To see a great inventor come up with such a concept means that in those days, Alcoholics Anonymous did not exist.

Here is a boring video which is actually edited with more boring videos and filled with authentic music of unknown source.... But the concept is of the cup is in there.

The idea is very simple. Pour your drink such as wine, up to a certain level, which is not a problem for a normal drinker. But if you like your drinks a lot, you WILL dismiss that level (OK, you might not even know it exists) the cup will spill everything out, and hopefully, onto your lap. Thinking (very hard) about it, this cup does make sense and is a very effective PSA. I mean, who would be putting up posters telling people to drink sensibly in those days?

The video below shows you how to make one and if you really want a good Pythagorean cup, you'd need to take a trip to Samos, Greece. Then again, RM100 through eBay might be a cheaper alternative afterall...

But seriously, this idea can also be used to a very good effect if you have say, a water tank with a steadily dripping tap...

1. Natural timer for plant watering
2. Getting your kids/spouse to take their bath at the correct time,
3. Water rationing in Hostels and rented rooms


And lastly,
As controlled alcohol intake measure for Guests who drop by too often...

Will it bite?

Tasked with helping to get rid some of his Apple related stuff on Mudah, I realised that writing Product Description for them is actually quite boring. So, sometimes I would just Cut and Paste Technical specs and sometimes, I would just write a cute-yet-interesting paragraphs for all his used and unopened items.

Until today.

Yeah, I have a busy day tomorrow and so I need to clear up a lot of things today. And with friends PM-ing me, answering the posted ads, taking photos and maintaining other stuff, time actually flew. And so, with my mind already in shambles, I decided to just wing it and if it does not work, well, I'll delete the article come Monday.

If you guys are interested, you can go to www.Mudah.my but please, only in KLCC area....

Here is an example:

Pre-Owned PQI Air Bank White with 500GB WiFi Storage

With the built in 802.11bgn Wifi and 2.5” HDD with 500GB of storage space capable of sharing with 5 devices, this PQI Air Bank runs like a Boss. You can store, view and transfer your Photos, HD movies and Documents to and fro from your devices seamlessly. After much discussion, this unit is on sale for a very much reduced price and has been sealed by the Owner, so you only get to see one photo. How about that? You don't even have to ask for a discount as its already done for you!

COD at around KLCC area is the order of the day.

My kind of cooking...

I love to make my own food. And have been doing this since College where 'proper' food is not an option unless you, well, pay more for it. And so, I am used to looking for food scraps or left-overs and turn them into a complete meal. And that is how I survived with minimum cash. And truth to be told, as far as I can remember, no toilet trips were necessary. Eating these stuff allows one to relive again and enjoy the wonderful taste you yearned days ago (or weeks later if you know how to store them into the freezer). You also get to eat what YOU wanted and in YOUR own privacy.


Take this morning's breakfast, where I have been eyeing Monday's dinner leftovers which is a bowl of chicken porridge mixed with groundnuts. And as luck might have it, we had a wonderful curry last night. So, this morning, its chicken curry porridge! Not enough peanuts? No problem! Toss some in when you heat the chicken curry porridge! Not enough potatoes in the curry? Toss some potato crisps while you're at it too!

And now, here I am, sitting and posting this Blog while I enjoy the new dish with semi-soft peanuts and soggy crisps...


The sad part is, no one, not even my Wife appreciates this.

Today's breakfast: Monday's porridge with last night's curry and week old potato crisps

Good2Go are.... Good to Go!

I have noticed that there is a new vending machine installed at the KLCC LRT since last month and, it sells, pastries! And what a nice catchy name too because once you get your pastry of choice, you're Good2Go! Compared to Japan, this is just a small little step towards the path of coin popping.

But on the serious note, I am very happy not because of the emerging trend of these new machines but the response of this Company which actually listened to message. Although I personally believe that Customer Service is still relatively new even after a decade has passed, I am happy that there are some who will do their best to make sure the customer is not left stranded during a transaction or when they do need assistance.

Finally, I resisted and decided to get item #53, which is a RM1.00 bread.
Unfortunately, after following all the instructions, it would not accept my money.

So, after standing there like an idiot with my Android phone, I succeeded in trying to use WhatsApp to notify them. And in less than 3 minutes, they called me which I informed them of the machine not accepting the notes. But I was already on the way to the Office. So, they will send someone to check on it.

And in less than an hour, the machine is fixed.
Wow. talk about customer service!

The three year old itch...

There is a very good reason why when I bought V-Chai, it has to be the SE (Special Edition) model. This is to make sure I would not spend unnecessarily to modify him. The leather seats, steering wheels, MP3 Player and allow rims plus side trims are all there. However, this morning, the hood on the yellow car looked so Mini.

I was tempted at first but then, after Mr. Reality slapped me in the face, I realised, who needs to be a Mini Cooper wannabe?

Look for the Prawn...

When a lizard encouters a potential Foe or is in a life-threatening situation, it will detach its tail. The tail will keep wriggling, distracting the foe, long enough for the lizard to run away. A when the tail it stops, the foe realised that the real prey is gone.

Which comes to mind a recent encounter with a Classmate and later, Colleague. Out of the blue, he wanted to catch up with me. Knowing him for years, I was OK with it and dismissed a lot of red flags:

1. He is OK with my choice of place and even suggests Amcorp Mall since I was relying on taking the LRT
2. He also 'found' another of our colleague and is quite pally wally with her, which even through the phone, she was OK with me.
3. Despite looking at all the Restaurants, he was looking for somewhere quieter.
4. During the night, we were all regaling our experiences and anecdotes in the former company. ALL the Jokes and comments I mentioned, they were actually paying attention.

Yeah, you guessed it. For all of you who do not understand what I am getting to, let me give you a clue: MLM.

There is no other words to describe the feeling. MLM is, to some, a very good source of income but a bane to the rest. In a nutshell, you sell expensive stuff, recruit more vict...er, people, you get money and as long as you maintain your PV/goal/etc. every month, you get money. And if you create a very strong downline, you get money. And if your downline mimics your efforts, you get money. The catch for this one is, you NEED to PAY for the products as a start, which they nonchalantly say, you can recoup your losses when you sell them to others.

Others. Who?
Yep, you guessed it. Your Spouse. Your immediate Family, your Friends, the strangers in your phone list, even the remote guy you used to pee at the same time in the toilet. They're all your Customers. Your steps to getting more money. And if they don't follow your lead, what then? A waste of time? Unbeliever? The 'Wait till I made it, I'll show them and they will all come begging to me.' line of thought would rise up, faster than you realise. You will think of nothing more than just recruiting or selling more of the stuff every waking hour.

So, here;s the Prawn.
I call this the Prawn because in the Malay proverb, 'Udang di sebalik Batu' [A Prawn hiding behind a rock] means there is a hidden agenda or something which is not so obvious.

True, MLM does help you make money. As long as you continue to do what you're doing. But bear in mind, you need to be one of the Pioneers to actually see the results and not those at the bottom of the Pyramid. Secondly, the best thing is that this would make you more brash and not afraid to approach anyone. You will start to sieve everyone you know into 'FRIENDs' or 'Foes'.

So, anyone? Want to join me? Huh? Huh?